To Our Supporters,

For the last five years, the Orlando Sentinel Guild has been sounding the alarm on the challenges local newsrooms face under the ownership of Alden Global Capital, which has stripped them bare even before purchasing Tribune Publishing.

With that in mind, we are proud to have organized two screenings of a movie on that very subject: “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink,” a documentary by two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rick Goldsmith. (A trailer for the movie can be found here.)

The first screening, open to the public, will take place Sunday, Sept. 21 at The Enzian, followed by a discussion with Rick and Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell. They will also be joined by Judith Smelser, president of Central Florida Public Media, in light of recent congressional funding cuts to NPR and PBS as well as their member stations. Though the challenges may seem different, the source of our ails are the same: the devaluation of strong local journalism by those who fund us, be they private equity or political power.

We are excited to have Rick, Judith and Scott on stage to have this discussion, and we hope to see you there. (Tickets can be purchased here.)

A second screening will be held the following day, Sept. 22, as part of a journalism class at the University of Central Florida. This will only be open to students of that class and serves as an opportunity for the next generation of aspiring journalists to better grasp the realities of working in this industry.

This is where you come in.

These events cost money, and we are looking to our supporters to help bring this event to fruition. We are seeking to raise $3,250 to cover Rick’s speaking fees, the fee to bring the movie to UCF and transportation costs.

And in the spirit of supporting hard-hitting local journalism, any remaining funds will be donated to Central Florida Public Media, the region’s NPR-affiliate.

The OS Guild is excited to bring “Stripped for Parts” to our community. Any amount to support this effort helps, and be sure to spread this far and wide.

If you're attending the screening at The Enzian, we can't wait to see you there!

Solidarity,

Cristóbal Reyes, OS Guild Unit Chair

Mario Sarmento, Co-chair

Natalia Jaramillo, Co-chair